Today 200 Business people from all sorts and sizes of companies from all over Scotland publicly declare that they are voting YES – they see it as “the business and jobs opportunity of a lifetime for this and future generations”.

“We are involved in business and entrepreneurship at different levels in Scotland and around the world. We believe independence is in the best interests of Scotland’s economy and its people.

An independent Scotland will recognise entrepreneurs small and large as the real wealth and job creators of the nation’s economic future. It will encourage a culture in which innovation, endeavour and enterprise are nurtured. It will place power in the hands of Scotland’s people to channel the huge resources of our country in the interests of those who live and work here.

We will gain the powers to give our many areas of economic strength even more of an advantage in an increasingly competitive world. There will be more opportunities for our talented and determined young people to stay and succeed here in Scotland.

We believe Westminster governments do not and never will pay sufficient attention to the interests of Scotland’s economy. The tax raids on our oil industry and pensions funds by Labour and Conservative-led governments are clear examples of a short-term focus rather than a long-term strategy. Scottish industry is so often treated as a cash cow rather than a strategically important part of a more prosperous and fairer society.

The real threat to Scotland is the real possibility of a British exit from the European common market. Scotland must look outwards to the world of opportunity that awaits us. A yes vote is the business and jobs opportunity of a lifetime for this and future generations.”

Signed in a personal capacity by the following:

Harvey Aberdein, Managing Partner, Aberdein Considine

Sandy Adam, Chairman, Springfield Properties plc

Mohammed Afzal Ali, Director, Toor Investments

Irshad Ahmed, Director, Manspeak Ltd

Andrew Aird, MD of Border Couriers

Alistair Aitchison, Director, Kilted Kangaroo

Tony Aitken, Director, AP Aitken

Kenny Anderson, Co-Founder of Anderson Construction

David Anderson, Chief Executive, AP Systems

Ann and William Angus, Proprietors of Clunie Guest House

Lesley Ann Parker, Owner of Leap Scotland Ltd

Richard Arkless, Founder of LED Warehouse

Raja Aziz ur Rehman, Owner of R & M wholesale LTD

Tony Banks, Chairman of Business for Scotland and Balhousie Care

Frances Barron, Owner of Dessert Depot

Alistair Barron, Director, Barron Wright Partnerships

Alan Beck, Owner of Alan Beck Product Design Ltd

Craig Bedworth, MD of CGB Translations

Jim Bennett, Director of SIS Scotland

Ian Blackford, MD of First Seer

Ian Bremner, MD of Youngson Insurance Consultants

John Buchan Skipper, Fairline Surveyor, Aberdeen

Patrick Byrne, CEO of Pursuit Marketing

David Cairns, Chairman of Prism Tech

Alistair Cameron, Managing Director, Scotmas Group

Gen Cannibal, Director, Pro Genus Environmental

Mary-Anne Case, Proprietor, Blackhall Framing Gallery

Allan Chalmers, Director Chalmers Commercial Finance Ltd

Neil Clapperton, Managing Director, Springbank Distillery

Laurie Clark, Founder of ASC Group Ltd

Alan Clark, Owner of Clark’s Bakery

John Clark, Owner, Belmont Communications Ltd

Graeme Coghill, MD of Aberdeen Group Ltd

Ben Cooper Owner, Kenetics

Bob Costello, Sidlaw Executive Travel

Bill Coull, CEO at Comtest Wireless Europe

Gillian Cowan, Owner of the The Jewell Room

Paddy Crerar, CEO of Crerar Hotels

Gordon Darge, Proprietor of MAK Architects

Adam Davidson, Bo Concept, Scotland

Peter De Vink, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Financial General Holdings

Alan Dickson, Director, Bradshaw’s Nursery

Elaine Donegean, MD of Wedding Wise

Andy Donnell, Owner of Lightning PC’s

Scott Downie, Managing Director of Hungry Boy Productions Ltd

Peter Drummond, Director, Peter Drummond Architects

Colin Dunn, Director, Plexus Media

Brian Durkin, Braid Wines and Altar Supplies

David Dwyer, Inspire Web Development

Andrew Fairlie, Chef Proprietor, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie

Shahid Farooq, Director, Smartways

Tricia Fox, MD, Volpa Marketing

Athole Fleming , MD of Athole Design

Paul Fletcher, Managing Partner, at Enabling Innovation

Alasdair Forbes, Primary Partner, Achvaneran Farm Partnership

Hugh Fraser, Managing Partner (Middle East), global energy law firm, former Group Head of Legal Wood Group

Kevin Gibney, Director, Get-A-Reel.com

John Gibson, Director, Broxburn Properties

Alistair Gilchrist, Founder, AJG Business Consultancy Ltd

Donald Gillies, Owner, Gillies Transport Islay

Andrew Graeme, CEO of Inchbrakie Group

Sir Patrick Grant of Dalvey, MD of Grants of Dalvey

Cynthia Guthrie, Joint MD of Guthrie Group

David Halliday, Owner of David Halliday Solicitor

David Hanley, Director, Competence Matters

Kat Heathcote, Director , Witherby Publishing Group

Gordon Henderson, Owner, Foxlane Garden Centre

Joe Henry, Founding Director, Planys Cloud Limited

Bobby Hill, Chief Executive, Hydracrat

John Hunter-Paterson, Owner of John Hunter Paterson Insurance

Dr. Arshi Ilyas, Director of Innovation Business Ltd.

Carole Inglis, Owner, Isle of Skye Fudge and Chocolate Company

John Innes, British Venture Capitalist of the Year and Venture Capital Chief Executive of the Year, former Chief Executive Amor Group

David Keegan, Director of Bothy Bikes

Kevin Key, Director, A Star Sports

Alan Knight, Director of Invisible Emperors

David Lafferty, Owner, Aqua Energy

Joe Lafferty, MD of Lifetree

Steven J Lawrence, Director, TCD Architects

Ian Lawson, MD of Pest Protection Services

Derek Louden, Financial Director& Company Sector, ITP Solutions Ltd

Alison Mabon Founder, DM Roofing

Iain Macbeath, Owner, Macbeath Architects

Dan MacDonald, Chief Executive MacDonald Estates

Professor Sir Donald MacKay, Former Chairman, Scottish Enterprise, founding director of an oil company and a bank and non-executive director, Malcolm Group

Colin MacKinnon, Owner, Strathaven Airfield

Marie Macklin, Chief Executive, Klin Group

Donald Maclean, MD, Business Cost Conusltants

Niall Maclean, Director, Geo-Rope

Lewis Maclean, MD of Maclean’s Highland Bakery

Alex MacLeod, Director, AG Tech Limited

William MacMillan, Director, Firth Plumbing, Heating and Roofing.

Graeme Macmillan, Owner, Macmillan Financial Planning

Mohammed Mahmood, Director, M & K Scotland Ltd

Mark Mair, MD of Skibo Technologies

Khalil Malik, Director, K Malik & Co Accountants

Nasim Malik, Managing Director, GFS Mortgages

Derek Mallon, Business for Scotland

Brandon Malone, Solicitor Advocate and law firm partner

Jack Marshall, Director, Tapside Coffee

Sir George Mathewson Chairman, Toscafund and former Chairman and Chief Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland plc

Jim McColl, Chairman and CEO of Clyde Blowers plc

Gerry McCusker, Owner, Dog Digital

Helen McDonough, Owner, Kennedy + Co Hair

Ian McDougall Owner, McDougall Johnston

Gordon McFarlane, Owner of Uplift Media

James McGoochin, Director, J.M. Builders.

Ron McGregor, Co-Founder McGregor Garrow Architects

Duncan McKellar, Owner, McKellar Sub Sea

Fiona McKenzie, Director and Co-Founder, Centre Stage Music Theatre

Sheila McLean, Director, Muriel Management Ltd

Brian McManus, Managing Partner Pisces Engineering Services

Ian and Thea McMillan, Directors, Chambers McMillan Architects Ltd

Isabell McNicoll, Owner, Business Time Saver

Les Meikle, Owner, Wise Property Care

James Meldrum, Proprietor of Mel Décor

Robert Miller Director , McAdam King Glasgow

Morag Milligan, Operations Manager, Milligan’s Coach Hire

David Morrison, Director, Sangobeg

Barry Morrison, Owner of Barry Morrison Timber Harvesting Ltd

Stephen Mulhern, Owner of Lendrick Lodge

Brian Munro, Owner, Pat Munro Construction

Jil Murphy, Co-Founder Thin Red Line Design

Alan Murphy, Owner of Inverness Cash Registers

Ron Murray, Founder, Safety Scotland

Yvonne Murray Director, Northern Roots Events

Omar Nabi, Director, Ahmad & Nabi McMulan

Muhammad Naveed, Managing Partner, Clyde Accountants

Mian Naveed Qasar, Chief Executive, Vision International Ltd

Alan Neill, Director, Neill Technical Services

Bruce Newlands, Director , Kraft Architecture

Richard Nicol, Chief Executive Commsworld

Douglas Norris, MD Of Datec

Mairi Oakley, Owner of Darach

Eunice Olumide, Entrepreneur

Eddie O’Neill, Owner, Translations for Industry

Gillian & Kevin O’Neill, Founder of 29 Studios

Sandy Orr, Co-Founder, Mint Hotels

Mike Peddie, Owner of Secret Scotland

Dr. Mireille Pouget, Director of Erin

Professor Nathu Puri, Founder, Purico

Jamie Rae, Chief Executive, Craignish Development Group

Frank Ralph, Shorline Motors and Property Limited

Mohammed Ramzan, Chairman, United Wholesale Grocers

Anne Rendall, Vine Marketing Group

Nighet Riaz, Owner of Riaz Property

Andrew Richardson, Owner Tax Assist Accountants

Mark Riddell, MD of M3 Networks

Jan Robertson, Manager of Willow Bank House

Andrew Robertson MD, 1st Eco Tech Ltd

Michelle Rodger, Founder of Tartan Cat Communications

Vivienne Rollo, Owner, Kishorn Seafood Bar

Bill Samuel, Private investor

Jim Savage, Director, Chemikal Records

James Scott, Former Executive Director, Scottish Financial Enterprise

Adrian Searle, Co-Founder of Freight Books / Freight Design

Ashfaq Shaq, Director, A Shah & Co Ltd

Kenneth Shaw, Owner, Canape Wines

Mark Shaw, Chief Executive, Hazledene Group

Kevan Shaw, Owner of KSLD

Tommy Sheppard, Director of Salt’n’Sauce Promotions

Muhammad Shoaib, Shoaib Associates

Alan Simpson, Owner of Minute Man Press Paisley

Helen and Mark Smith, Directors, Montana Home Care

Mark Sorsa-Leslie, Director, Zargonic

Sir Brian Souter, Chairman of Stagecoach Group plc

Stewart Spence, Owner of Marcliffe Hotel

Jim Spowart, Founder, Standard Life Bank and Intelligent Finance

Alasdair Stephen, Director Owner, Hebridean Homes

Neil Stephen, Partner, Dualchas Building Design

Philip Stewart Owner, Kangaroo Print

Gary Sutherland, Director, Harrowden IT

Neil Sutherland, MD, Makar Ltd.

William Tait, Director, Klondyke Fishing Company Limited

Frank Taylor, Owner of Indigo Sun

Robert Taylor, Director, Iformis Ltd

Christine and Robert Thomson, Owners of Cairngorms Solutions Ltd

Ralph Topping, Retired as Chief Executive of William Hill plc this month

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp is the Founder and Chief Executive of Business for Scotland. Before joining Business for Scotland full time first as its MD and then CEO he ran a small social media and sales & marketing consultancy.
With a degree in business, marketing and economics, Gordon has worked as an economic development planning professional, and in marketing roles specialising in pricing modelling and promotional evaluation for global companies (including P&G).
Gordon benefits (not suffers) from dyslexia, and is a proponent of the emerging New Economics School. Gordon contributes articles to Business for Scotland, The National and The Huffington Post.

An impressive list but as a generally concerned scot with business interests across the uk could you please explain how paragraphs 3 & 4 will be converted into concrete policies rather than nebulous “visionary” proclamations.

With the very real prospect of no currency union you must agree there is significant risk to business especially with the suicidal threat of debt repudiation.

Even if all the uk parties caved in and gave us a currency union what’s to stop them either offering such punitive terms for doing so and also setting debt restrictions so that we would have no choice but to hang on to the coat tails of a no doubt right of centre uk government. Where would the benefits of independent socially just control of our economy be?

Also as a serious businessman you must be aware that arbitrary use of the pound without a currency union , and not paying our share of the debt that WE as part of the UK accrued, would be fatal to any business expecting to sell products to the uk market. It would also be immoral as it wouldn’t be Westminster that would pay for it but the ordinary citizens of this island we all inhabit.

Wow! So many names! My heart sunk when 130 came out yesterday, only to fly when I read down all these names. All I can say is a big thank you to the organisers, participants, and the people who take time to read this.

Listening to the Today programme this morning (28th)where a spokesman mentioned that Scottish businesses were being charged by British Embassies for trade promotions. Various UK officials were immediately online to refute this and the conclusion drawn on air was that the statement was not true. I’ve had a look online to see if there was a clarification on here or on t’net. I can see a couple of stories ref William Hague and Whisky. Is this the source of the statement? If so (or if there’s others) I think you should be clearing up any confusion and / or informing the Today programme. (I didn’t hear the last 30 minutes of Today so there may well have been a further clarification – in which case… oops)